Matthew 16: 24 - 28

Pastor Brian McGuffin

Introduction

On a daily basis, when you get up in the morning, what drives the start of the day? What do you think about first?

What one thing (or things) take up the most time in each day of your life?

Scripture

Matthew 16: 24 - 28 ESV

Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever would save his life[a] will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. 26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? 27 For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done. 28 Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”

[a]The same Greek word can mean either soul or life, depending on the context; twice in this verse and verse 26

Discussion Questions

1. If someone asked you - What does it mean to be a Christian? - what would you say?

Are you required to do/achieve anything yourself? What verses would you use to prove that?

2. Jesus starts to tell his disciples how to follow him when they belong to him. He says, "Let him deny himself" (v. 24). Look at the following translations of 1 John 2: 15 - 16: Don’t love the world’s ways. Don’t love the world’s goods. Love of the world squeezes out love for the Father. Practically everything that goes on in the world—wanting your own way, wanting everything for yourself, wanting to appear important—has nothing to do with the Father. It just isolates you from him. The world and all its wanting, wanting, wanting is on the way out—but whoever does what God wants is set for eternity. (The Message)

Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. 16 For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. (New Living Translation)

a) What is Jesus asking when he tells us to "deny ourselves"?

b) Are any of the things mentioned in those verses things that you are attracted to?

c) What would you have to give up?

3. a) Jesus also says in verse 24 - "take up his cross". What does that mean?

b) What kind of choices would you have to make today to more fully commit to follow Jesus?

c) What might be difficult if we were serious about following Jesus?

4. Jesus also says, "follow me". 

a) As you think about focusing your day-to-day life on Jesus, how does that make you feel? (e.g. excited, confused, peaceful, fearful, determined?) Why

b) What does living by faith actually look like? How would our lives differ from people who don't live for God?

c) If you were living for God completely, how would that change your life?  Be specific. Come up with various choices/changes.